Introduction
In this week, you will be developing the techniques needed to design and build your own database.

You will also need to complete a three-part assignment demonstrating the skills you have acquired over the last three weeks.

This week's objectives are:

• to be able to design and build a simple database with two or three tables.
• to include in that database both tables and forms.

Resources
Lewis and Lloyd-Jones (1996) pp. 126-136, 147-160.
Weatherill and Hemingway (1994) §5.1-5.17.
Student's ACCESS, §2.2-§2.10.

Exercise 1  Constructing a Database: Novels

Novels Data contains two tables containing data about novels and authors. Your task is to construct a database into which the data can be entered, saving this to your floppy disk following the usual rules for file names (this time ending 15a, as in gobr15a.mdb).

Consult Designing a Database for instructions and tips on this task.

Using the database you have constructed in Exercise 1, perform the following queries.

1. Authors whose names begin with C.
2. Male authors whose names begin with C.
3. Male authors with C in their name.
4. The number of male and female novelists (use count in the author field and  group by in the gender field).
5. Female authors who died before 1900 ("<1900"). Sort in alphabetical order.
6. Authors who died in 1889 or 1870 or 1832.
7. Male authors who died in the twentieth century.
8. Authors who published a book in 1848.
9. Add the title of the book and the gender of the author to the above query.

Save your queries, naming each as appropriate.

This assignment uses a more extensive database called HIST001.MDB. This contains information about a number of eleventh and twelfth-century saints. Ensure that you have read Saints 1150-1300: Background to the data before pe rforming the following queries.

NB Because Hist001.mdb is such a large database we do not expect you to save it to your floppy disk, though of course you may, and on this model it would be named g0br15b.mdb.

Your assignment includes answering the following eight questions of this datset, where the base table can be either SaintsI or SaintsII. To help you we include in each question the number of tables/fields that will be required to execute the queries.

1. How many saints come from each country? (Use Count in the name field, Group by in the Area of Birth field). Results will include a figure for those whose area of birth has not yet been entered (1 table/2 fields).
2. List those saints who were abbots or abbesses in alphabetical order and show their status (2 tables/4 fields).
3. List Franciscan and Dominican saints alphabetically (2 tables/3 fields).
4. How many martyrs are there in the sample? How many of them were lay? (1 table/3 fields).
5. List saints who were also popes or rulers (1 table/2 fields).
6. Show the career of St Anthony of Padua as fully as possible i.e. not just codes but full details. (5 tables/18 fields).
7. Which saints have a feast day on 8 August and what type of source material is available for them? NB Feast days are the lay term for Date of Liturgical Celebration, the Calendar Date field of SaintsI/SaintsII (2 tables/3 fields).
8. Considering those cases where data is contained in the table, how long might it typically take for an individual to be canonised? List those who were canonised within 25 years of their death, adding their occupational category and the main components of their reputation (1 table/4 fields).

Print out your results, again ensuring that your name is clearly displayed on all pages of your printout.

FINALLY, your assignment is to deposit your backup floppy disk (just the disk, not in its box) so that your progress can be assessed. Please make sure that you get your disk to Roger Middleton's pigeonhole on time and that it is properly labeled , both electronically and with the sticky label on the disk

To IT-MA home page
To Department of Historical Studies home page.

(c)R. Middleton 1997. Last modified 22 October 1998.